What Difference Does Appearance Make In Business? A Lot, Actually

We don’t want appearance to matter in business. We want a world that rewards people based on their abilities. 

But unfortunately, that’s not how our minds work. We’re naturally attracted to better looking people and feel more confident in their ability to lead. We also unconsciously believe that they have the strength to do it, so they tend to attract more responsibility than others. 

In this post, we take a look at some of the reasons why appearance matters in business and how it could affect your approach to your work. Let’s take a look, shall we? 

It’s Like Body Language

How you look is similar to body language. It makes people feel a certain way - so just like body language, it matters a great deal. 

Before you put on clothes in the morning, you should think about what you want to communicate about yourself. If you go too formal, people might think that you are stuffy or uptight. They might also wonder why you are trying so hard. 

If you are too informal, people might not take you seriously enough. They may think that you’re “just a boy” or still finding your professional feet. 

When choosing dresses online, look for something that holds the middle ground. Think about the settings in which you’ll wear the garment and how it might be able to help you. 

It Makes You Stronger

Research shows that the clothes you wear affect both how you feel, and how everyone around you feels about you. Imagine walking into a business meeting wearing a hoodie and jeans. Unless that’s the normal approach, people in the room would feel awkward. They’d wonder why you were dressing in such a strange way and what it meant. That, in turn, would undermine your authority and make you feel weaker. 

When you dress well, though, it changes your personal psychology and that affects the people around you. You exude power in a way that you just can’t when you dress differently.

But why is this? Well, it turns out that we all have associations with the clothes that we wear, just like everyone else. When we put on a suit, it reminds us of all the powerful people who’ve worn suits before us. This then puts us in a different mindset, allowing us to emulate those individuals. 

Color Changes How People Feel About You

The colors you wear also make a big difference in how people perceive you. If you wear predominantly grey and black, people will view you as competent and professional, whether you are or not. If you wear brighter colors, they may not take you as seriously - particularly if you work in or run a Western company. Multi-color is an option, but you should think carefully before you go for it. It’s an important part of your identity, sure, but will it fly in your work setting? Only you can answer that. 

Older people in businesses occasionally make poor choices about what to wear, but it is rare. Younger people, on the other hand, tend to make more mistakes. And that’s a big issue. When you are just starting out on your career, little changes now can make a big difference in the future. 

If you find yourself in this position - wearing the wrong things - just observe the people around you. What are they wearing? Copy them if you need to, just so that you avoid making unnecessary mistakes. 

It Marks You Out As Different

In business, being generic isn’t an option. You need to find ways to mark yourself out as different from everyone else if you want to create a name for yourself and succeed. But how are you supposed to do this when you are also trying to comply with the dress code? 

It all depends on the options available to you. If you have to wear a uniform, you don’t have much leeway. However, if the company allows you to play with the dress code, then you can play around more. 

In many places of work, you can use accessories to mark you apart from other people. Try matching your socks to your phone case, for instance.

It Impresses Your Clients

Perhaps the biggest reason companies obsess over appearance is the fact that it affects the way their customers and clients perceive them. Salespeople are usually highly switched onto this from years of experience. But if you’re not on the sales team then you can sometimes miss the mark. 

With the rise of remote working, the problem is getting worse. It’s not always clear what standards you should adopt in your line of work. When you only communicate over the internet, it is easy to let your approach to dress slip. 

Be wary of putting on casual clothes when you meet clients. While it is comfortable and may tie in with your brand image, it’s not always the sensible option. That’s because casual clothes often communicate a casual attitude. And most customers don’t want that. They want you to be on the ball all the time, serving their needs. 

Looking the part extends to all forward-facing aspects of your business. It’s actually a critical element of your branding and something that you can use to win people over when you want to secure large contracts. 

How To Dress For Success

So, with that out of the way, what can you do at a practical level to look good at work and help your company thrive? 

Add Shots Of Color

You don’t want to go to the office wearing all-orange. But it does help to add shots of color here and there. When you add color, you make your outfits pop - especially as a woman. You can try combining a neutral dress with lavender shoes, for instance. 

Take A Bag With You

Here’s another idea: take a bag or satchel with you. While many places of work specify a dress code for the clothes that you actually place on your body, relatively few have anything to say about the accessories you carry with you. A statement bag allows you to exude power and stylishness. It’s something that other people will quickly notice. 

Try Unique Patterns

While you might have to wear a suit or dress for work, it doesn’t have to be boring. Try playing with the fine patterns in the material so that you can wear something unique. Look for textures that look great, but that nobody else is using. 

Opt For A Jumpsuit

If you want to feel comfortable at work and you’re a woman, you can try the jumpsuit and blazer combination. Putting both together in a business outfit helps to make each component look more stylish and chic - which is what you want in a business environment. 

Switch Between Sleek And Messy Hair

Sleek hair works well in business, but so too does messy hair. In fact, both work best when you mix them up a little. You want to continually play with people’s expectations of how you should look. When you create contrasts, you immediately draw attention to yourself. 

Wrapping Up

In summary, how you appear makes a tremendous difference in your success in business. Academics will rail against this, saying that it is a sign of how unenlightened people are. But it’s also a tool that you can use to your advantage. Once you know about the power of appearances, you can leverage it for success. 

Dressing well as a business leader is particularly important. That’s because you have to impress everyone you meet, including your colleagues and customers.